Speculum



-(N0 Model.) 2 Sheets-Shea}, 2.

R. P. & 0. H. MQOULLY.

SPEUULUM.

No. 430,350. Patented June 17, 1890.

A TTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD P. HOCULLY AND CHARLES H. MOCULLY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW

YORK.

SPECULUM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 430,350, dated June 17, 1890.

Application filed March 19, 1890. Serial No. 344 45L (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, RICHARD P. MoCULLY and CHARLES H. MOCULLY, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York,

have invented a new and Improved Speculum,

of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

In the practice of medicine and surgery it is quite essential that the instruments used shall be entirely free from septic matter, or shall be what is termed surgically clean. Especially is this desirable regarding instruments used in examinations of and opera-,

tions on the female generative organs; hence the speculum commonly employed in these operations should be so made that without sacrificing its efficiency it may be quickly and thoroughly cleansed after each use, in order to prevent one patient being contaminated by excretions from another. I

It is the chief object of our invention to provide a speculum so made as to allow quick and thorough cleansing of all its parts. The invention consists in certain novel fea- 2 5 tures of construction and combinations of parts of the speculum, whereby it is made capable of quick dismemberment for cleaning purposes, and may as readily be assembled in condition for use, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

7 Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference i11- dicate corresponding parts in all the figures. 35 Figure l is a perspective view of our improved speculum in preferred form. Fig. 2 is a front or outer face view thereof. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the several parts of the speculum dismembered to allow cleansing of them. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of another ordinary form of speculum embodying ourinvention, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the dismembered parts of the instrument shown in Fig. 4.

We will first describe the invention as applied to the preferred form of speculum (shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive,of the drawings) as follows: In this form of instrument the lower or posterior plate or jaw A is of ordinary a form, as also is the opposing anterior or upper plate or jaw B and the forked piece or plate C. The lower jawA is provided with a stem to, having a threaded hole a and a lengthwise slot a and the forked piece C has a stem provided with a slot 0 and a pin 0 A screw D is passed through the slot 0' into the hole a of the stem at of the jaw A, while the pin 0 enters the jaw-stem slot a to prevent lateral play or swinging of the forked piece C on the stem of jaw A and hold the extremities of the forked end of the piece C in fixed relation laterally to the flaring front concaved end of the jaw, while allowing the forked piece to be adj usted along the j aw-stem. The upper jaw B is provided with a front arm or finger-lever b, which has a hole b,receiving loosely a screw E, which at one end has an eye e, which engages a detent F, preferably made in hook form and fastened to the side of one arm or limb of the fork of the part C. The detent may, however, be a straight pin, if desired. The screw E carries a nut G, which may be turned inward to cause and maintain separation of the two jaws of the speculum to any desired extent, when the anterior jaw B is pivotally connected by pins passing through, holes 12 b at itsopposite sides and through holes 0 c at the ends of the limbs of the fork of the part C.

Ordinarily the jaw B has been pivoted to the forked piece C by permanently-placed pins or rivets, not allowing ready disconnection or uncoupling of the jaws or parts of the speculum. In accordance with our invention we pivot the anterior jaw to the fork in a manner making them readily detachable one from the other, and we accomplish this preferably by means of a curved wire or rod, forming a yoke H, the extremities of which are bent, preferably, inward to form pins h h, which can easily be made to enter the holes 12 c in the speculum-jaw B andforked piece C, and constitute pivots on which the jaw B may be swung farther from the opposingjaw A in using the instrument. The pivot-yoke H, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, lies at its arched part quite a little distance from or below the anterior opening between the two jaws of the speculum, so as not to interfere with the operator. It will also be noticed that one side or limb of the yoke comes outside of or overlies the screw E when it is engaged with the detent F, to thereby prevent disconnection of the screw from the detent, and would be specially serviceable in this respect were this detent a straight pin instead of a hook. The pivotingyoke H is preferably made of elastic metal, allowing it to be sprung into the holes 12 c of the jaw and fork B O, and to be readily spread and unclasped therefrom.

In Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings we show a speculum having two jaws A B of ordinary form, and having pairs of holes b a respectively, which receive the bent ends h h of the yoke 11 for pivoting the two jaws directly together, instead of pivoting the upper jaw to a fork which is itself held adj ustably to the other jaw of the instrument, as in the previously described construction. modified form the detent F is fixed directly to the side of the lower jaw A, and the screw E, which engages the detent by its eye 6, passes through a slot 12 in the jaw-stem and receives a nut G, by turning which on the screw the jaws A B may be opened to any required extent.

It is manifest that our detachable pivot construction, and preferably by the use of the yoke H to provide the pivots, is applicable alike to both forms of speculum, which differ mainly in that the preferred instrument allows relative adjustment of the lower jaw A and forked piece 0 to distend the outer portion of the vagina after the speculum jaws are inserted, and thereby provide a larger front opening between the jaws to give increased working room to the operator, this not being possible with the instrument shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings.

After use and withdrawal of either speculum shown it is obvious that the yoke H may quickly and easily be spread laterally to spring one of its pivot-pins h from the holes 6 c or b a and after the opposite yoke-pin h is removed from its bearings the upper jaw B may be swung over laterally to disengage its screw E from the detent F, whereupon the screw may he slipped from the hole b or b of the lever or arm of the upper jaw, and the screw D may be removed to detach the lower jaw A and the yokepiece 0, and the parts of the speculum will be dismembered, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 5 of the drawings, to allow them to be thoroughly cleansed in any bath or solution commonly used for this purpose. The parts may be quite as easily assembled in readiness for the next operation by first coupling the jaw A and yoke-piece O by the screw D, then passing the screw E through the hole of the lever or arm of the jaw B and catching it upon the detent, and finally adjusting the necting the jaws, substantially as described. In the j opposing jaws, a forked piece held adjustafbly to one jaw, and a curved yoke having bent ends forming pins or journals by which the other jaw is detachably pivoted to the 2. The combination, in a speculum, of two extremities of the forked piece, substantially as herein set forth.

3. In a speculum, the combination, with one pivoted jaw, of a pin or hook detent fixed thereto, and a fastening device detachably engaging the detent, and also engaging the other jaw of the instrument, substantially as herein'set forth.

4. In a speculum, the combination, with one jaw, of a pin or detent thereon, a curved yoke having bent ends forming journals by which opposing jaws or parts are detachably pivoted together, and a fastening device detachably engaging the detent, and also engaging the other jaw of the instrument, said curved yoke overlapping the fastening device to hold it to the detent, substantially as herein set forth.

5. The combination, in a speculum, of a lower jaw A, a forked piece 0, held adjustably thereto, a detent F on the part 0, an upper jaw B, having a lever I), provided with an opening b, a screw E, having an eye 6, adapted to the detent F, a nut G on the screw, and a yoke H, having bent ends forming journals adapted to hearings in the jaw B and forked piece 0, substantially as herein set forth.

RICHARD P. MOCULLY. CHARLES H. MCOULLY. Witnesses:

HENRY L. GOODWIN, EDGAR TATE. 

